Reacción a "A quarter of freshwater wildlife is threatened with extinction"

The article by Catherine Sayer and colleagues is relevant because it highlights several issues that threaten the conservation of freshwater freshwater ecosystems in the current situation and the need for preventive action.

It is a global, worldwide survey of the probability of extinction of multiple groups of organisms, of species associated with freshwater and forest environments and inland wetlands, from the tropics to polar areas at high latitudes. Conducted through data collection, and large-scale consultation with experts in different taxonomic groups. The study is based on a five-point survey that analyses both the extinction risk for threatened species and the main causes of species extinction. Cross-referencing the answers of the different experts in different groups, the uncertainty of the assessment for the different species groups is evaluated due to the unequal influence of multiple effects and their interactions and the extent and conservation of their habitats.

It is worth noting the link that the article establishes between the threat of biodiversity loss and human activity due to the alteration of environmental conditions or the modification of habitats and their uses. Some 28% of the threats come from invasive species and pathogens. In this sense, in the river environment, the INVESAQUA project for the Iberian Peninsula has established an atlas of the 100 most relevant continental invasive species. Among the taxonomic groups with the most species are algae and fungi, fish, crustaceans and molluscs, making up the most harmful species for the conservation of native flora and fauna. These are species from other oceanic regions that may be transported or aided in their spread by transport in ballast tanks or in the biofouling of ships (over 90% of the transport of goods is transported by sea according to data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Transport, UNCTAD), or be introduced as a result of the intentional or accidental release of aquarium and aquaculture species, or species transported in the packaging material of trade in live aquaculture organisms for human consumption or recreational fishing. All of them can be hosts to parasitic species and pathogens, which when released into the environment threaten the health of native species and ecosystems. On the other hand, little consideration has so far been given to the danger of extinction of native species under the effects of climate change, limiting their chances of survival and distribution.